The Swimming Cities of Serenissima

I'm a kind of girl that gets excited very easily.

I'm noticing a koala (for the 10th time on the same day) - Wow!!
Beautiful landscapes make me emotional.
Dance performances - weepy.
I get teary when hearing songs I like on the radio (Robbie Williams's Angels? Oh, you don't want me around when it's playing...!). or on movies. or just from reading emails from people I love.
Yeah, very easy to make me excited.
Most of the things I post about make me say Wow!!!
I love it when art makes me say Wow and I guess that's what it is all about.
If it doesn't move you it doesn't worth no matter who made it or how much prestige it gained over the years right? It's got to be emotional.

I've encountered the following act just recently, much later than it was launched and for that I'm sorry. It must have been even more exciting to follow it when it was actually happening.
But better later than ever, and as I'm sure some of you haven't seen it as well, I hope it will still be considered as news... :)

But now, enough talking and lets see what it is all about!

The Swimming Cities of Serenissima was an ambitious project by the visual artist SWOON. Swoon designed a fleet of art boats built from recycled materials (you can basically say it was made from junk...), crewed by 30 fellow artists, who started their journey from the Karst region of Slovenia across the Adriatic Sea to their final destination in Venice this May and June, 2009.
In Venice, they performed the dreamy story of a drifting metropolis during the Venice Biennale, a celebrated contemporary art exhibition.

I must admit, it's the kind of acts which make me sad I'm not 20 again... (although I was never THAT cool when I was 20) and I wish I've at least met the crazy, amazing people who took part in it.

It touches so many aspects in me - the love for travel, sailing, boats, art, Italy, contemporary art, recycling and reusing, improvisation and as for these wonderful pictures - of course - photography.

Brilliant, unique and such cool photos.
I wish Swoon's next project would be ambitious enough to sail over here to Australia... Would love to see you here crazy people!!



Want more?
++ Take a look at the crew's portraits documented by the crew photographer Tod Seelie's.
++ Watch more photos from the entire project on Tod Seelie's site.
++ Read the great interview with Swoon on Arrested Motion


Photgraphy © by Tod Seelie.